Are any of you GREAT at english????Please!

I am in English 100 right now. English is my best subject for the most part, but I am totally stuck like 100% stuck on understand exactly what a clause is. Can any of you help me? I just can't wrap my mind around it and understand it. I am taking the class online soooo therefore that is why I am a little stuck. TIA.

it's kind of like a sentence fragment. it's a thought, but not a complete sentence.

Quoting MommaNoodle:" it's kind of like a sentence fragment. it's a thought, but not a complete sentence."

This is what I am supposed to do. But I can't figure out how to do it, considering I don't even know how to identify a clause.

Exercise #5: Identify the clauses in each sentence in 1-10 above. Also identify whether the clause is a main/independent clause or a dependent/subordinate clause. Send your answers to me as a Word attachment using Blackboard messages.
I can't take the bold off for some reason. But I will also post one of them, and maybe you can help me better understand iffff you don't mind *Pretty, pretty please!!!* lol.

10. Once the excitement of the new semester had subsided, the students began studying the material with less and less frequency.
The bold for that one is what my instructor had highlighted online.

http://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/clauseterm.htm

Quoting Due w/ a little boy!:" This is what I am supposed to do. But I can't figure out how to do it, considering I don't even know ... [snip!] ... began studying the material with less and less frequency. The bold for that one is what my instructor had highlighted online."

There are 2 clauses there.

[Once the excitement of the new semester had subsided,] [the students began studying the material with less and less frequency.]
First is a subordinate clause and second is the main clause, because the first clause is an adjunct of time, describing when the students began studying. The main clause is actually an independent clause because "The students began studying with less and less frequency" is a perfectly sensible sentence and it gives all the info needed to make sense.

Basically, for every conjugated verb in a sentence, there's a clause. Then, once you round up the verbs, find their subjects and any complements, objects, modifiers (adverbs/adjectives etc) and it's a clause.

Quoting *e.j. {slytherin}:" There are 2 clauses there. [Once the excitement of the new semester had subsided,] [the students began ... [snip!] ... you round up the verbs, find their subjects and any complements, objects, modifiers (adverbs/adjectives etc) and it's a clause."

THANKS!!!! And btw if she is highlighting just certain parts does that mean she is basically highlighting the clauses but we just have to state what kind it is?
Well, what I more so mean is, is that how you would take it, if that is what she was doing?

Quoting Due w/ a little boy!:" THANKS!!!! And btw if she is highlighting just certain parts does that mean she is basically highlighting ... [snip!] ... have to state what kind it is? Well, what I more so mean is, is that how you would take it, if that is what she was doing?"

Were the parts she highlighted the ones you had in bold?

Quoting *e.j. {slytherin}:" Were the parts she highlighted the ones you had in bold?"

Yes those were the ones.

Quoting Due w/ a little boy!:" Yes those were the ones."

Breaking it down.


Once the excitement of the new semester had subsided
Once: Complement establishing time.
"The excitement": Subject of verb
"of the new semester": Adjunct, (complement specifying excitement)
"Had subsided": Verb

[the students began studying the material with less and less frequency.]
"The students" : Subject of verb
Began studying: Verb
The material: Direct object complement of verb
With less and less frequency: Adjunct, also establishes time (kinda, I can't come up with a better word than time)

So the highlighted things are both adjuncts basically, and an adjunct is something that is not necessary for the clause to function, they're just like extra info.